Former Webb County commissioner, former city councilman plead guilty to bribery

Laredo Morning Times

Published
6:07 pm CDT, Thursday, October 18, 2018

Former Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales is pictured at a campaign rally Oct. 3, 2017. He resigned as county commission on Oct. 18, 2018 after pleading guilty to a bribery charge in a federal court in Houston. less

Former Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales is pictured at a campaign rally Oct. 3, 2017. He resigned as county commission on Oct. 18, 2018 after pleading guilty to a bribery charge in a federal court in ... more

Photo: Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times

Photo: Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times

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Former Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales is pictured at a campaign rally Oct. 3, 2017. He resigned as county commission on Oct. 18, 2018 after pleading guilty to a bribery charge in a federal court in Houston. less

Former Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales is pictured at a campaign rally Oct. 3, 2017. He resigned as county commission on Oct. 18, 2018 after pleading guilty to a bribery charge in a federal court in ... more

Photo: Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times

Former Webb County commissioner, former city councilman plead guilty to bribery

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Former Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales and a former Laredo city councilman have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced early Thursday evening.

Canales, 51, and John "Johnny" Amaya, 70, owner of JAUC Services Inc. and a former member of Laredo City Council and Laredo ISD school board, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Houston. They face up to five years in prison. Canales announced his resignation as commissioner Thursday morning.

"Canales admitted at least in or about January 2015 through in or about January 2017, an individual gave and agreed to give things of value in order to influence and reward him for his official acts as a Webb County commissioner and Laredo Metropolitan Planning Organization representative," a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office states. "Canales accepted these things of value, intending to be influenced and rewarded for his official assistance. These things of value, which included checks disguised as campaign contributions and personal loans, use of a co-conspirator Padre Island condominium and meals and entertainment, were provided in connection with business and transactions of Webb County and the Laredo MPO well in excess of $5,000."

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Amaya "met and spoke with various Webb County and City of Laredo officials to direct them to take actions that benefitted" a co-conspirator and corporation. The co-conspirator had employed Amaya as a consultant for a corporation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The corporation was not named in the news release.

"Amaya maintained close contact with officials who could help the conspirator and corporation by setting up meetings and passing messages to and from the conspirator," the release states. "Amaya admitted he acted as a middleman between the conspirator and public officials. At the conspirator direction, Amaya provided cash payments, personal checks disguised as campaign contributions and meals and entertainment to these officials, including Canales."

"All of the payments were reimbursed with the corporation's corporate funds, either directly or indirectly. At the conspirator direction, Amaya also supported specific candidates in the November 2016 election cycle by providing rental cars, drivers and gas cards for those rental vehicles to transport voters to the polls, all for which the corporation paid."

Amaya and Canales are set to be sentenced Feb. 14. They were permitted to remain on bond until the sentencing hearing.